Balancing apparatus for pumps



(No Modei.) ,2 Sheets-'Sheet 1.

E413. CLARK. BALANCING APPARATUS POR PUMPS.

No. 578,002. Patented.MauxA 2, 1897.A

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2 sheets-sheet 2 (No Model.)

E. E. CLARK. BALANOING APPARATUS PoR PUMPS.

Patented Mar. 2

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UNITED STATES EZRA E. CLARK, OF NORTHAMPTON,

PATENT OFFICE.

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BALANCING APPARATUS FOR PUMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,002, dated March 2, 189'?.

Application filed March 16J 1896. Serial No. 583,321. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, EZEA E. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Northampton,in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Balancing Apparatus for Pumps, of which the following is a speciiication.

Pumps have heretofore been constructed in which there are a cylinder or cylinders and piston or plungers exposed to a pressure for the purpose of balancing or partially balancing the weight of the reciprocating parts, and also for equalizing, or partially so, the action of the pump when placed in a vertical position. In English Patent No. 1,513, granted in 1871, a pump having these peculiarities is set forth, and also in Letters Patent No. 271, 775, granted February 6, 1883, to George F. Blake.

In the pumps that have heretofore been constructed separate cylinders have usually been required and a connection to a stationary airtank or other source of pressure, the object being to balance the weight of the moving parts, but considerable space has been necessarily occupied with these balancing appliances. Y

In my invention I am enabled to dispense with *the stationary air-tank heretofore usually employed and to render the apparatus much more compact and direct-acting; and with thisobject in view I employ ahollow plunger and connect the same through the crosshead to the balancing-cylinders, so that the hollow plunger becomes a reservoir or storagechamber for the balancing fluid, and this is closely adjacent to the balancing-cylinders, and by properly proportioning the size of the balancing-cylinders and the pressure employed in the same the weight of the parts will be balanced, or nearly so, and the pump rendered uniform in its action.

I also make use of Water-jacketed stuiiingboxes for .these balancing-plungers, through which is maintained a circulation of cold water for the double purpose of sealing saidstuffing-boxes and of keeping them in a cool condition.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sec-y illustrates the application of this balancing apparatus to a well-known type of pump, as said pumps may differ from those chosen to illustrate this invention.

5 In Fig. 1 the base of the pump A, forming the suction-chamber, is connected with the suction-pipe B, and such base is hollow, and it receives upon its upper edge the bottom flange of the pulsation-chamber C, the bot` 6o tom of which chamber is made with a depressed plunger-chamber C', and there are valves D opening upwardly within this pulsation-chamber and around the depressed plunger-chamber, so that liquid will pass from such valves also opening lupwardly from the 7o pulsation-chamber into the discharge-chamber F, from which the discharge or eduction pipe G passes.

In the upperhead or deck of the pulsationl chamber C there is a stuffing boxl or gland H,

through which the plunger I passes.

The upper part of the plunger is reduced to such a diameter that its area will be practically onehalf that of the large plunger I,

and it passes through the stuffing-box K at 8o the top of the discharge-chamber F, forming what is commonly known as a differential plunger. The glands and throats of these two stuffing-boxes are advantageously lined with brass bushings to lessen wear and to al- 8 5 low for replacing when necessary.

It will now be understood that as the plunger I is depressed the liquid is driven out from the pulsation-chamber through the upper valves E into the discharge-chamber F, 9o

and there will be driven out into the discharge-pipe G a portion of this liquid proportional to the area of the small part of plunger, and when the plunger is raised the liquid is drawn in from the base A through the seats of the valves D into the pulsation-chamber C, and the remaining portion of liquid in chamber F, due to the displacement in the upstroke, is also forced out through the discharge G, proportional to the annular porroo tion of plunger of the difference in areas of the two plungers.

The plunger I is Vmade hollow, and is permanently connected with ahollow cross-head L, to which the piston-rod'M is' connected when the pump is driven by a direct-acting engine, but it is to be understood that this pump may be driven by any desired form of engine. It should also be understood that this form ot' balancing apparatus is equally applicable to other known forms of plungers, such as the single-acting plunger, the double plunger, or the center-packed plunger. Its application to a double plunger is shown in Fig. il, in which the fluid is drawn into the chamber C2 and passes down into the chamber C4 as the plunger I is drawn up or into the chamber F as the plunger descends, and the liquid is forced from the respective chambers into the discharge-chamber C5 by the reverse movements of the plunger. The valves D D2 E E2 in this pump are arranged as usual.

There are balancing-plungers N that are connected with the cross-head L and extend down into the cylinders O, which are preferably cast with the discharge-chamber F, and there are packing-glands R around the balancing-plungers N to allow such balancingplungers to move with freedom, but to be water-tight, and there is a pipe or connection S leading to any suitable source of iiuid-pressure, so that the balancing-pressure within the cylinders O acts against the plungers N, and these plungers N, being hollow, communicate with the hollow head L and with the hollow plunger I, so that the plunger, the cross-head, and the balancing-plungers form holders or Huid-reservoirs that reciprocate with the main moving parts of the engine, and at the same time permit this fluid-pressure to act so as to balance the parts in their movements.

It will be understood that the pressure acting against the plungers N forms a resistance as the plunger I is driven downwardly, and such pressure acts in aid of the movement of the plunger when the same is being raised, this pressure on the balancing-plungers being so proportioned as to balance or nearly balance the weight of the several plungers, cross-head, pistons, rods, and moving connections of the engine.

Although the balancing-plungers are hollow, their mean effective area against which the fluid-pressure will act will be the same as though they were solid.

It sometimes happens that condensation will arise from a lfluid under pressure, and to remove any liquid condensation or leakage from the interior of the hollow plunger I or from the cylinders O the small pipe 5 and blow-off valve 6 are provided, the lower end of pipe 5 being adjacent to thelower surface of the hollow plunger I and blow-off cocks l0 act at the lower ends of the cylinders O.

The balancing-plungers are liable to become warm by friction in the stuffing-boxes and also in consequence of the development of heat by the compression of the air. I find it `advantageous to circulate water around and adjacent to these plungers.

With this object in view the annular chambers T are provided around the packingglands or stuffing-box R, forming water-jacketed stufiin g-boXes, and by the pipes and cocks 7 and discharge-pipes 8 a liquid, such as water, is allowed to pass from the chamber F through the annular chambers T to keep the plungers and adjacent parts cool, and it is also advantageous to perforate the cylindrical and central portion ofthe glands at 9 for the liquid from the chamber T to come directly into Contact with the surfaces of balancingplungers N to lubricate and seal the same, as well as to keep such surfaces in the proper cool condition.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with the pump-cylinder and the induction and eduction valves, of a discharge-chamber and discharge-pipe, a hollow plunger, a h ollow cross-head connected to the plunger and tubular balancing-plungers, and cylinders within which such plungers act, and a pipe for supplying a fluid under pressure to act against the balancingplungers, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the pump-cylinder and the induction and eduction valves, of a discharge-chamber and discharge-pipe, a hollow plunger, a balancing plunger `or plungers and cylinders in which such balancing-plungers act, and a hollow connection to the hollow plunger and a pipe for supplying a fluid under pressure to act against the balancin g-plungers,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination in a balancing-pump, of a hollowdifferential plunger, larger at its lower portion than at its upper portion, the pump-cylinder and valves, a discharge-chamber for receiving the liquid from the pump, and balancing-plungers secured by means of hollow connections to said differential plunger, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a vertical pumpcylinder, having induction and eduction valves, of a discharge-chamber and dischargepipe, a hollow pump plunger or plungers, forming a reciprocating fluid-reservoir, the balancing-plungers and their hollow connections to the pump-plunger, and means for maintaining in this reservoira Huid-pressure to act against the balancing-plungers, substantially as set forth.y

5. The combination in a balancing-pump, of a hollow plunger, and pump-cylinder, induction and @duction valves, balancing-plungers and hollow connections between the hollow plunger and the balancing plunger or plungers, cylinders in which such balancingplungers act, and water jacketed stuffingboxes around the balancing-plungers, and means for causing water `or other liquid to circulate through the same for cooling such plungers and glands, substantially as set Orth.

IOO

IIO

6. The combination in a balancing-pump, of a hollow plunger and pump-cylinder, induction and eduotion Valves, balancing-plungers `amd hollow Connections between the plunger and the balanoing-plungers, cylinders in which such balaneing-plungers act and blowo cooks at the lower ends of the cylinders of the bulaneing'plungers, substantially as set forth.

7. The Combination in aJ balancing-pump, of a hollow plunger forming a storage-chamber for fluid under pressure, a pump-Cylinder, induction and eduetion valves, a dischargeoharnber and discharge-pipe, tubular balancing-plungers and cylinders in which such plungers ziet and hollow connections uniting the hollow plunger and the balancing-plungers, :L pipe for supplying a fluid under pressure into the hollow plungers and the cylinders of the balanoing-plungers, and a discharge-pipe extending down within the hollow plunger and a blowoff:` Valve for the same, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this-21st day of February, 1896.

EZRA E. CLARK.

Witnesses:

CHARLES U. BELL, RALPH C. ROBINSON. 

